Stosh

As SM I am the only one that can assign an adult to work with any boy(s) during an activity, and that is assigned only if a PL requests it.

Have David Tennant or Matt Smith do a cameo appearance. You'll be these girls' BFF.

The boys already have parents.... they don't need a half dozen more when they go camping.

I did an orientation session for a new crew last week. The most strenuous suggestion from the brainstorming was a hike at the local state park. It does have some great trails and would be a nice opportunity for both rock climbing and hiking. However, I tossed out the 100 mile NPS challenge for the North Country Trail, any one of the hundreds of miles of bike trails in the area, kayaking/canoeing from sandbar to whitewater. just to prime the pump. I haven't heard back from them, I think they got overwhelmed at the myriad of potential opportunities out there to get involved in. The Mrs. will be doing 3 major kayak trips this year and wants to do the 100 mile hike challenge as well. With the hike challenge, we've decided to put off Isle Royal until fall when the crowds thin out.

A solid colored necker for troop and various trim colors for patrols work really nice. Best of both worlds.

Totally agree. When one goes uninvited into someone else's home, they better know the rules. THEY are the intruders, not the bears.

I use a pulley, works really good.

So do military ponchos That's all I ever use. Even used the poncho as a tent on a lot of treks. If nothing else it keeps the morning dew off.

Unfortunately that is not a tried and true rule @@Krampus There was a family that did not clean up their mess after meals and the bears came in a cleaned up for them. They thought this was rather nice. All they need do is sanitize the cookware and one would be all set for the next meal. However, the next group came in and did it "according to Hoyle". Everything was done up just the way it was supposed to be done. Bears came in looking for breakfast, didn't find anything so they went through everything to make sure. Totally tore the campsite to shreds. Sometimes the bears aren't the problem.

I never buy packs with the intention of having them waterproof. NONE OF THEM ARE even from the get-go. The minute you open up the top in a rainstorm your gear gets wet. There's no room in the bivvy tent for a pack. It sits outside in the rain. The only reason the poncho covers the pack is because one puts it on while wearing the pack! If anyone out there pitches packs because they are not waterproof are the fools that will spend $200 on a new pack only to realize that $200 worth of ziplocks will last a lifetime.... or two.... or three

Gee, I thought everyone used ziplocks. I have my Yucca pack and it is not waterproof, but it is always lined with a garbage bag and everything in the pack is also in ziplocks. I can leave my pack outside the tent in a heavy rain storm and the only thing that gets wet is the pack. I have NOTHING in terms of gear that is waterproof except my dry-bags I use for kayaking. When my boys "present themselves ready for a campout" they had better make sure that their gear is water proof. There's a river a few blocks from the CO's where we meet. I have challenged every boy that if I toss their pack into the river they can toss in mine. I have even had a few take on the challenge. No one has ever had wet gear on an outing and if they do, no one is sympathetic.

No, I didn't miss the point. When I was a scout, and not for the Federal Army of 1863, but a Boy Scout in 1963, I had a canvas tent, a canvas packs (Same Yucca I have today), no waist belt, we made our own bug lights, we dug our own latrines, and so I know how convenient the modern equipment is. I also know how convenient established campsites are, I know how convenient, being close to the car/trailer combo can be. and I know what others only dream about because even after 50 years, I still enjoy cooking out of my mess kit on an open fire even though I can carry a backpack white gas stove if I want to. but which weighs more and the fuel even more. A small tin can rocket stove can get my coffee going in the morning along with my oatmeal. Just saying, the more one knows about the different options, the more opportunities for fun and adventure open up. Oh, by the way, I also know what traveling across the country camping out of a Class-B RV is very convenient, so I think the point being missed is on your part. The Mrs. and I signed up for the North Country National Scenic Trail and the Hike 100 Challenge and probably won't be needing the RV for that. So, let me know how those 12 year olds are planning on keeping up with us 60+ year olds. THAT IS THE POINT!

If one's son is shopping around for other troops, is this really "no harm"? Is not providing a full program, but just enough to get by really "no harm"? Is not letting the boys really lead nor teaching them leadership in an adult led program really "no harm? I guess what it all comes down to is what mediocre standard will one accept as "no harm"? @@blw2 maybe someone's son who knows better will be the catalyst that moves the adult-led, troop-method troop into boy-led, patrol-method as he takes care of his boys on his way to real Eagle. And blw2, that doesn't necessarily mean that this boy does it on his own. As a leader, he will need followers. It's just my opinion, but that's the opportunity I would open up to my boys.

I don't think the OA wants the hassle of Boy Scout advancement added to their program. Same holds true for the Venturing Crews. I told my VC boys that either they stay with their troop and Eagle (which was heavily emphasized and encouraged), they take on the entire process on their own and get signatures from me as necessary or they take a pass on the Eagle because the crew wasn't going to hassle that as part of it's program. I had only one scout not Eagle under this arrangement. I had seven that did as well as two that also held Vigil in OA. My even grumpier $0.02.

Hmmmmm, out in the woods where scouts are supposed to be they don't have flush toilets, electricity, air conditioning, cars or cell phones.... Where is it your boys camp? They used to call it "Getting away from it all!" I think they call it "Drag it along with you. Nowadays! The last camporee I went on, I camped totally as a scout would have camped in 1910. I cooked over wood, I slept in a WW I era dog tent with bed roll, used metal mess kit and canteen and wore the 1910 wool uniform. Boys were constantly stopping by to see "how it was going" and I was doing just fine.

Welcome to the forum! One can use them as prizes for awards one could make.

In 2000 when I was at Philmont, a bear cleared out the Tooth of Time campsite and the boys had to evacuate back to base camp in the middle of the night. Sometimes precautions don't work. Being lucky helps, but not always reliable. By the way, I live in the woods, I carry a gun, there are black bear in the area. I don't want to startle one without something serious to protect myself with. My neighbor let me know they are coming out of their dens now, he saw one last week.

This whole dynamic of troops losing boys to OA is the same as loosing them to the Venturing Crews. If one isn't going to provide a decent program in the troop, the boys will leave. Fortunately OA and Venturing does help retain a few.

It is surprising when one stops and ponders the Civil War soldier carried 3 day's rations in a haversack, 2 qt water in a canteen, a bedroll over the shoulder, 6# ammunition and a 11# gun and hiked for thousands of miles over the course of 3 years. Our people can't walk from the parking lot to the campsite without an external/internal framed pack with sippers, pockets, shoulder straps, belts with breakaway belts, pack covers, double ziplock packing, etc. I've done the 4 day outing of a national re-enactment, with nothing more than what I could carry in a bed roll and that included tent and 11# gun. Nothing was nylon, all canvas and leather. Of course I was over 50 years of age at the time too. This backpacking stuff is not as hard as many of the "professionals" seem to make it out to be. My BSA Yucca pack is a luxury and it doesn't have a waist belt either.

BSA media promotes Fun and Adventure, but doesn't deliver. That's fraud. (A Scout used to be Trustworthy)

There is no legal liability against anyone who does nothing. Only those that do try and in that case prove negligence. Of course one could be sued for not doing anything as much as they can be sued for doing something. It's a frivolous lawsuit either way. Good Samaritan laws protect the by-stander, but it does not absolve them from paying a ton of legal fees to protect oneself. It's called being in the wrong place at the wrong time and there's nothing one can do about it. It's really sad, especially when one considers that the WFA certified person is held to a higher standard of accountability than the scouter next to him that hasn't been trained? They can prove negligence against the WFA person for not following the training exactly as it was in the curriculum whether it was taught or not, but the untrained person can do the best he/she can because there is nothing to compare it to other than what a "untrained prudent person" would do. Just keep it in mind that any mom out there that has put on a Bandaid is a volunteer medical professional according to the BSA.

Is it BSA or the local Crew's program that is the problem. A good adviser should be able to work around the BS part of BSA.

As you can tell @@tnmule20, no two people are going to give you the same answer, everything is relevant to what is being done and who is doing it. If you look at my post, I don't even consistently use the same pack Depending on what I'm doing I can pick any one of 4 different packs and that is by no means the full range of options I have on the shelving of my garage. There is no such thing as an ideal pack that is a one-size-fits-all. It's a bit like the parable of the 7 blind men describing an elephant. Seven different answers, all of them correct and all of them incorrect.

I have a shoulder strap military duffle bag for canoe treks I have a old Yucca Pack (BSA) for weekend campouts I have 2 so I could go front and back (short trek) or tumpline for longer treks. I have a military ALICE pack for long weekend campouts I have a full external frame pack for 7+day treks. I always travel quite light and do without on most outings. For example If the weather for the weekend looks decent, I'll use a poncho as my tent/pack cover or rain fly.

When a person suffers a heart stoppage, if there is no one around that knows CPR, that person stays dead. If there is someone around that knows CPR, that person has a chance at life. Those are the only two options at that time and if that person is someone you know and love, you can either watch them die or try and save them. Your knowledge of CPR is the only difference.